Bow-socket



Patented July 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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:iillll! Ei EllL )I Ill 0. A. BREWER.

BOW SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2 1917.

D, A. BREWER.

BOW SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2. 1917.

1,347,678. Patented July 27, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

m #4 m W M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD A. BREWER, OF CORTLAND, 'NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE BREWER- TITCHENER CORPORATION, OF CORTLAND, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BOW-SOCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1920.

To all whom it ma concern: 1

Be it known that I, DONALD A; BREWER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cortland, in the county of Cortland, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bow-Sockets, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in folding tops for automobiles, motor boats, and other vehicles, commonly known as one man tops in that the top is adapted to be extended, folded or crashed by a single individual without assistance.

The main object of this invention is to provide a top of this character which, when released from crashed position, will normally assumeor tend to assume its extended position.

Specifically the invention provides automatically operating spring means for moving or tending to move the bow sockets and bows to extended position when the usual means for holding the bows in folded position is released. Other'objects and advantages will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l 'is a side elevation of an upper portion of an automobile body showing one specific application of the improved foldable top, the dotted lines at the left indicating the folded position and the dotted lines at the rightindicaing a semi-folded or semiextended position.

Fig. 2 is a view, partially in section, of

i the main bow and adjacent parts.

Fig. 3'is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing Fig. l is a View similar to Figs.- 2 and 3 illustrating the crank arm as formed in connection with a link instead of on the Tear arm of the toggle socket.

Fig. '5 is a view of a structure similar to Fig. 4 in which the link upon which the crank arm is formed is connected both to the front auxiliary bow socket and the front section of the toggle socket.

As previously stated, the one man top is adapted to beused. in connection with automobiles andlsimilaf-vehi-cles requiring tops of varying. lengths, and may, therefore, em-

body any suitable or desirable number of how sockets and bows, the specific illustration of Fig. 1 showing four bow sockets, a main bow socket l. a rear bow socket -2 a toggle bow socket -3-, and an auxiliary bow socket l-+, the bows indicated as carried by said sockets adapted to support and tension a suitable flexible top or covering 5- having its rear end fastened in the usual manner, if desired, to the rear end of the body of a vehicle, as A.

The main bow '1- is hollowand is formed in Fig.1 as an extension'ofa hollow casting --6 having a hub 7- adapted to be mounted upon the vehicle body.

The rear bow socket -2- is pivotally mounted upon and may have its pivot within the casting 6, and in the illustration of Figs. 1 and 2 is formed with a crank arm 8- movable within the casting to which a spring 9 is secured, the spring extend ing through the hollow bow socket 1- and having its upper end secured-to a crank arm 10 formed upon the rear section 11 of the toggle socket 8, which toggle socket is pivotally mounted upon the upper end of the main socket 1-, and preferably the main socket l embodies a casting '13 rigidly secured to and forming a part of said arm and having an offset portion 14-- extending forwardly from the body of the arm upon which offset portion the section 11 is pivoted so thatthe end of the crank arm 10- moves approximately in a line axially of the socket l toeliminate binding of the spring.

The auxiliarysocket may, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, be pivotally secured to the section -l1- and connected to the socket l by a link -15- having one end pivotally seeuredto the flange -l'6 upon the casting '13 and its opposite end providedwith aslot .17 movable relatively to a bolt --18 secured to the socket 4;-. At a point on the socket -L- above the bolt l8, one end, of a secondv link 19 may be mounted, the other end-of the link being pivotally secured to the 'front sec tion20f of the toggle socket'-3 It will be'rteadily apparent that with this construction the spring 9 having its ends respectively secured'to cranks"8- and 10-, will tend to hold the-sockets "1 and 2 in extended position relatively to each other, aiidwill' also tend-to invention and as move the toggle socket 3 vertically to extended position about the pivot of the section -11 on the main socket -1.

Thetop may be held in folded position by any of the well known means, and when such means is released the spring auto matically tends to move the entire bow socket formation to extended position, and, for the purpose of this application, the toggle socket -3, the front auxiliary socket 4, and the links 15. and 19 will be broadly termed an outriggei which term may be deemed to include any suitable bow socket construction adapted to extend forwardly from the main socket to support a top cover and to specifically cover the particular forms of outrigger construction shown in the figures of the drawings herein.

Fig. 3 illustrates a slightly modified form in that thelower end of spring -9 secured to a pin -2l mounted in the socket -1, the rear auxiliary socket S being either omitted as in the construction of runabout tops or else, if used, necessitating the raising of the main socket by hand to substantially vertical position before permitting the spring 9 to automatically throw the outrigger formation to extended position.

In Fig. 4, the link 15 is formed with a crank arm 22, the crank arm -10 in connection with section 11 being omitted and the upper end of spring 9 is secured to crank 22. The operation of this construction, although perhapsnotequally as efiective as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, will operate efliciently in extending the outrigger portion of the top and in substantially the same manner as shown in the former figures, and with this construction it will be apparent that the lower end'of spring -9 may be secured in the manner shown in either Figs. 2 01' 3. 1

In Fig. 5, a construction similar to that shown in Fig; 4 is illustrated, in that the link 15 is provided with crank arm 22 to which the spring -9' is secured. This structure, however, differs from Fig. 4 in that the link 15 is pivotally, connected at 23 to the front section of toggle socket 3 and is designed to operate reversely and indirectly through link --19 upon the bow 4 Under any of the conditions described, the spring -9 operateseifectively to automatically move or tend toinove (dependent upon the size and tension of the spring) the top, or at least the outrigger portions ;of the top, to extended position.

Although I have shown and described specific constructions as illustrative of my perhaps preferred in the use of the same, do not desire to limit myself to the same, as many changes may be made in the details of construction of the topand the form, shape and number of the constituent parts, without" departing from the spirit of this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

WVhat I claim is 1; In a vehicle top, a hollow standard, a toggle socket pivoted to said standard, a link pivoted to the standard above the pivot of the toggle socket and operably connected with the toggle socket, one of said pivoted members having a rearward extension forming a lever alined withsaid hollow standard, and a tension spring within the hollow. standard and connected directly to and operating directly on the lever and acting to raise the toggle socket to extended position: of the top.

2. In a vehicle top, a hollow standard, a toggle socket pivoted to said standard, a link pivoted to the standard above the pivot of the toggle socket and operably connected with the toggle standard, one of said pivoted members having a rearward extension forming a lever, a rear bow socket pivoted to the standard and having. a lever portion extending forwardly from the pivot andin alinement with the hollow standard, and a tension spring positioned within the hollow standard and connected directly to and operating directly on said levers and acting to move the sockets to extended position of the top.

3. In a vehicle'top, a hollow standard, a toggle socket pivoted to said standard and having a lever portion extending rearwardly from the pivot and in alinement with the hollow standard, a link pivoted to the standard above the pivot to the toggle socket and extending forwardly from the standard and connected with the toggle socket, and a spring within the hollow standard connected directly to and operating directly on said lever and acting to raise the toggle socket to extended position ofthetop. 7 4

4:. In a vehicle top, a hollow-standard, a toggle socket pivoted to said standard and having a lever portion extending rearwardly from the pivot and in alineinent with the hollow standard, an auxiliary bow socket pivotedto the rear memberof the toggle socket, a link pivoted to the standard and connected to the auxiliary socket, a second link connecting the auxiliary socket with the front member of the toggle socket, and a spring within the hollow standard connected directly to and acting directly on said lever and acting-to raise the toggle socket, the auxiliary bow socket and the links'to extended position of-the top.

5'. In a vehicle top, a hollow standard, a toggle socket pivoted to said standard, a link pivoted to the standard and operably connected with the toggle socket, one of said pivoted members having an extension extending'rearwardly from its pivotal axis and angularly disposed with respect to the body of the member and forming a lever arm having a portion alined with said hollow standard, and a spring within the hollow standard and engaging the lever and acting to raise the toggle socket to extended position of the top.

6 In the top structure, a hollow standard, a toggle socket having its rear section pivoted to said standard, said rear section having a lever portion extending rearwardly from its pivot and having a portion in alinement with the hollow standard, a spring within the hollow standard and connected to said lever and acting to directly and primarily move the rear section of said toggle socket about its pivot toopen position of the top structure and thereby indirectly and secondarily move the front section of said toggle socket to open position of the top structure.

7. In a vehicle top, a standard, an outrigger portion comprising a toggle socket having its rear member pivoted to the standard and an auxiliary bow socket pivoted to and extending upwardly from the rear member of said toggle socket, a link member pivoted to the standard above the pivot of the toggle socket to the standard and operably connected to the outrigger portion of said'member, one of said members which are pivoted to thestandard providedwith a rearward extensionforming a lever, and a tension spring connected di rectly to said lever and acting to raise the outrigger portion to extended position of the top.

8. In a vehicle top,'a hollow standard adapted tobe pivotally secured to a vehicle body, an outrigger bow arm, a link pivotally connected respectively to said outrigger bow arm and said standard, and having a free end extended to the rear of its pivot, and a spring carried within the standard and connected directly to said free end of the link.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of January, 1917 DONALD A. BREWER.

\Vitnesses:

E. A. THOMPSON, M. VIOLA HOWLAND. 

